Spring unit for spring cushions



y 28, 1940- M. FREUND SI RING UNIT FOR SPRING CUSHIONS Original Filed June 4, 1936 2 Sheets-$heet 1 May 28, 1940. M. FREUND 2,201,997

SPRING UNIT FOR SPRING CUSHIONS Original Filed June 4, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 amen rm Patented May 28, 1940 SPRING UNIT FOR SPRING OUSHIONS Morris Freund, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor,

mesne assignments, of one-half Jacob Kronheim, Shaker Heights, Ohio, and one-half to John 0. Lincoln, Scottsdale, Aria.

Application June 4, 1936, Serial No. 83,547 Renewed July 12, 1939 not and 5 Claims.

This invention relates in general to soft spring cushions for davenports, arm-chairs, etc., and more particularly to spring units for such cushions. At present spring units for soft spring cushions consist of a plurality of rows of soft coiled springs arranged side by side. In these rows each of the springs is individually pocketed, to prohibit contact of coils of different springs with each other and individually sewed to the top and bottom portion of its respective pocket. The springs of such a unit act individually, no co-operation of the springs with each other being present and therefore a thus built soft spring unit can easily be fully compressed by heavier loads. To overcome this deficiency the spring unit must be heavily padded so as to retain its desired softness when fully compressed. However, a heavy padding of the spring units is expensive in material and labor, makes the finished cushion heavy and stiff and causes the cushion to lose its softness as padding material particularly when continuously under compression easily packs.

The general object of the present inventionis to overcome the above described. deficiencies in soft spring cushions by the provision of a spring unit embodying a plurality of elongated co-operating flat spring-structure arranged side by side, connected with each other and individually pocketed with respect to each other in order to avoid contact of the fiat spring-structures with each other.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a spring unit embodying a plurality of individually pocketed, elongated, co-operating flat spring-structures arranged side by side, each of the spring-structures embodying yielding topand bottom-portions yieldingly connected with each other at the ends of said portions.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a spring unit embodying a plurality of individually pocketed, elongated, fiat spring-structures arranged side by side, each of the spring-structures embodying yielding topand bottom-portions yieldingly connected with each other at the ends of said portions and all the spring-structures being interconnected with each other at their topand bottom-portions so as to form a single spring unit.

In addition the invention has certain other marked superiorities, which radically distinguish it from presently known structures. These improvements or superior characteristics embodying certain novel features of construction are clearly set forth in the appended claims and a preferred by di- REISSUEQ JUN 13 M Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view.

through one of the pockets of the spring unit shown in Fig. 1, disclosing the elongated flat spring structure according to the invention, the section being taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the elongated flat spring-structure before its assembly and pocketing and Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the attachment of one of the ends of a flat spring-structure to an edge-wire, interconnecting all the tops of the flat spring-structures of a spring unit.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the pockets of a somewhat modified form of a spring unit for a soft spring cushion and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the modified flat spring-structure used in the spring unit shown in Fig. 6.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the pockets of another modified form of a spring unit for a soft spring cushion and Figure 9 is a perspective view of the modified flat spring-structure usedin the spring unit shown in Fig. 8.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 2 represents a soft spring cushion embodying a soft spring unit 3, padded with padding material 4 and enclosed in a covering 5. The spring unit 3 consists of a plurality of elongated flat spring structures 6, pocketed in elongated pockets 1 of a burlap covering 1' and interconnected with each other by means of edge-wires 8 and 9 as will be later described. Each of the elongated fiat spring-structures 6, preferably made of relatively thin steel wire bent to sinuous shape, so that the loops ill of the structure extend substantially parallel to each other, embodies two parallelly arranged seatingand base-portions II and I 2 respectively, adapted to be longitudinally extended and/or compressed.

These portions, the upper one ll being the seating portion and the lower one l2 being the base or supporting portion, are interconnected with each other by means of oppositely inclined levers ll, ll and l5, l5. from or rigidly connected to the front and rear ends of the portions H and I2. Levers ll, l4. which. as shown, integrally connect the front ends of the portions H and 12, extend rearwardly at an inclination and are angularly related to each other, and levers i5, i5 extend forwardly at an inclination and angularly to each other and are rigidly connected with each other by means of a clamp It. When the spring structure is assembled, the angle between the levers I, I4 and the angle between levers l5, l5 are smaller than before assembly of the structure in order to effect upward bulging of the upper and the base portions of the spring structure, and such bulging of said portions is increased by means of a tension wire l1, connecting the meeting point of the levers l4, H with the meeting point of the levers l5, l5.

The spring structures 6, when enclosed in the elongated pockets 1 of the burlap coverings I, which pocketsare preferably formed by sewing superposed burlap pieces l8 and IS on parallel seams 2B, are of a rectangular, elongated shape, as the walls of the pockets straighten out bulging of the top and bottom portions Ii and i2. The arrangement is sufiicient to give the spring structure the desired shape and form, however, I prefer in addition to tie the top and base portions I I and i2 of the spring structures by means of twine 2|, preferably drawn through the top and bottom faces of the pockets 1 so as to simultaneously secure the top and base portions of the spring structures to each other and to the pockets 1 of the covering 1.

The open ends of the pockets 1 are covered by end pieces 22 of burlap secured to the pockets by clamps 23, see Fig. 5, interconnecting the ends of top and base portions II and i2 of the spring structures 6 with edge wires 8 and 9 respectively. The edge wires 8 and 9 connect the pocketed spring structures to a soft spring unit which can readily be used as base for a soft spring cushion.

The described soft spring unit embodies a plurality of elongated, co-operating, joint spring structures, each of which embodies a relatively soft yielding surface with inherent load'resistance. This load resistance of the seating surface, which is proportionate to the tension of the wire I! and which is effected by the stresses tending to bulge the top and bottom portions II and i2 outwardly. increases with the load as the lever arms H, H and l5, l5 approach each other under load and thus increase the bulging stresses.

The interconnection of the spring structures 6 by the edge wires 8 and 9 effects co-operation of adjoining spring structures and insures support of a load by a plurality of spring structures. In the modified form of a spring unit 3' (shown in Figs. 6 and 7) the spring structures each embody a sinuous-shaped wire doubled back on a curve as at 24 to form top and base portions 25 and 26. The front ends of these portions are bent downwardly and rearwardly to form integral levers 21, 28, connected to each other by means of a clamp 29. This type of spring unit, which otherwise is similarly constructed to the type described in Figs. 1 through 5, is particularly adapted for cushions of chairs having the rear integrally extended end of the soft spring cushion (the curved end) partly extended under the back of the seat.

In the modified form of a spring unit 3" such as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the top and base portions 3| and'32 of the spring structure 33 are curved to insure an absolute straight seating and base surface of the finished spring unit I" when the levers 34 and 35 are rigidly secured to each other by means of a clamp 36 and forcibly drawn toward each other by a tension-wire 21. This construction of the spring unit avoids the necessity of connecting the top and base portions II and 32 by twine, facilitates slipping of the assembled spring structure 33 into the pockets 1 of the burlap covering 1' and in addition produces a more pliable and softer surface of the assembled spring unit 3".

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A wire spring structure for soft spring cushion units comprising horizontally corrugated straight portions arranged in spaced relation parallel to and above each other, and similarly, corrugated spacing means integral with and extending inwardly from the opposite ends of said portions and connecting same yieldingly and vertically shiftably with each other.

2. A wire spring structure for soft spring cushion units comprising horizontally corrugated straight portions arranged parallel to each other in spaced relation above each other, integral, substantially V-shaped, corrugated means connecting said straight portions and spacing same from each other, means connecting the center portions of said V-shaped means with each other and an elongated, sleeve-like covering enclosing said spring structure.

3. A wire spring structure for soft spring cushion units comprising a horizontally corrugated, substantially straight, elongated seating portion, a similar, horizontally corrugated, substantially straight base portion arranged below said seating portion in spaced relation thereto. corrugated, inclined integral lever arms inwardly extending from the opposite ends of said seating portion and said base portion, said lever arms intersecting each other and being rigidly connected to each other at the points of intersection, and connecting means for connecting the points of intersection of said levers and preventing said points from moving away from each other.

4. A wire spring structure as described in claim 3, wherein the spring structure is inserted in compressed condition into a sleeve-like covering of smaller height, and wherein the central areas of the seating and base portions are held in substantially parallel relation-ship by means connecting said areas to each other and to said covering.

5. A wire spring structure for soft spring cushion units comprising horizontally corrugated straight portions arranged in spaced relation parallel to and above each other, similarly corrugated spacing means integral with and extending inwardly from the opposite ends of said portions and connecting same yieldingly and vertically shiftably with each other, and an elongated, sleevelike covering enclosing said spring structure,

MORRIS FREUND. 

